On a leafy stretch of Watchung Avenue just steps from Watchung Plaza, a brick church building has been a fixture of Upper Montclair since the early 2000s. Inside, Montclair Community Church describes itself as "a fountain of grace: a place where grace comes to us, works in us, and flows through us," and that phrase has framed the congregation since the day it was nearly shut down. Today the church is a diverse, multigenerational body serving Upper Montclair, Montclair, Cedar Grove, and surrounding towns with a packed weekly schedule of worship, Bible study, youth ministry, and small groups.
Saved by Two Votes: The Story of MCC
The history that Montclair Community Church tells on its own begins not with a grand opening but with a narrow escape. Decades ago, after painful divisions and church splits, the previous congregation stood on the brink of closure. The property was nearly sold and a final vote was cast to dissolve the church entirely. That vote failed by a margin of just two votes. In 1990, Pastor Edward Banghart stepped in to lead the surviving body and rechristened it Montclair Community Church, casting a defining vision: to be "God's grace in motion" and a haven of grace for the surrounding community. By 2003, growth had outpaced the old facility and the church moved into a brand-new building at 143 Watchung Avenue. After three decades of ministry, Pastor Ed retired in 2021 and passed leadership to Pastor Lee Grzywinski, the current Lead Pastor. The mission that saved the church still drives everything that happens inside it.
Sundays at 143 Watchung Avenue
The main Sunday gathering begins at 10:00 AM and runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. Visitors are welcomed at the door "as if you're family from the very first visit," and a fellowship hour with free bagels and specialty coffee follows the service. The order of worship centers on 30 to 45 minutes of biblical preaching, with singing before and after the sermon. The whole service is livestreamed on YouTube and remains available afterward in the sermon archive, so anyone unable to attend in person can follow along. Before the service, an adult Bible study meets at 8:30 AM for anyone who wants to dig in deeper. A children's program for nursery through fifth grade runs during the sermon.
Parking is easy and free. Plenty of street spots line Watchung Avenue and the surrounding side streets, and a small municipal lot just down the block from Watchung Plaza adds capacity on Sundays. Three handicap-designated spaces sit directly in front of the church for those who need closer access.
Children's Ministry: Three Years Through the Whole Bible
Children's Ministry at MCC is built around a three-year curriculum that walks kids from Genesis to Revelation. Each year covers a third of Scripture, so by the end of elementary school a child has heard the full sweep of God's story. The program is divided by age, with the nursery (newborn through age 2) staffed from 9:50 AM through the end of service in the Fellowship Hall, a Pre-K class for ages 3 and 4, a K to 2nd-grade class, and a 3rd to 5th-grade class. Two trained childcare providers staff the nursery and a sign-in/sign-out system keeps things safe. All four children's programs are free, and there is no pre-registration. Children's Ministry Director Amber Duca oversees the program and welcomes questions from parents at amber@montclair.church. Special events throughout the year include Vacation Bible School, a Children's Christmas Pageant during the Sunday service, and seasonal crafts and a Trick-or-Treat Walkthrough on the church driveway.
Wednesday Nights for Middle and High Schoolers
Youth Ministry at Montclair Community Church is built around one weekly anchor: Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 8:45 PM for students in sixth through twelfth grade. The evening has a clear rhythm. Students arrive for Connection Time with snacks and games (7:00 to 7:30), then move into Game Time designed to break down walls and build trust (7:30 to 8:00). At 8:00 the whole group gathers for a Bible-centered lesson, and at 8:15 they break into Life Groups, small cohorts that meet to encourage and pray for one another through the week. No RSVP is required; students can simply show up. The youth ministry is led by Executive Pastor Eric Temple, who has been part of MCC since age five and oversees youth and young adults at the church. In addition to Wednesday nights, the youth calendar reserves the first Sunday of each month for a youth-focused sermon during the main service and the third Sunday for an in-depth Bible study after the service. There is a parent handbook, a public teaching schedule outlining thirteen teaching series running through the school year, and a multi-session youth-leader training track for the volunteers who serve.
Young Adults, Men, Women, and the MomCo
For young adults in their late teens through early thirties, the Young Adults group meets every Tuesday at 7:45 PM in the Fellowship Hall for Bible study, with monthly fellowship events and outings layered on top. Pastor Eric Temple leads the group, and a typical evening combines teaching, discussion, and time to build friendships.
Men's Ministry gathers on Saturday mornings at 9:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall for a Bible study with coffee and fellowship, with a teleconference line available for those who cannot commute. Monthly events such as men's barbecues give the men additional chances to build friendships. Elder Joe Del Grande helps organize the men's ministry.
Women's Ministry at MCC is branded as G.R.A.C.E. and exists to provide a Christ-centered environment where women can grow spiritually and personally. The ministry gathers for a yearlong calendar that has included a February kickoff luncheon, a March Pajamas and Game Night, an April in-house retreat, a July Ladies' Night Out, a September evening of dance, an October potluck brunch and pottery class, and a November "Sistergiving" event. Two weekly women's Bible studies supplement those gatherings: Whole Hearts meets Monday evenings at 7:00 PM in person and on Zoom, and a Thursday morning Video Bible Study meets from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM in Meeting Room B2 with free childcare for children up to age six.
The MomCo, formerly MOPS, is a monthly gathering for mothers of children newborn through age six. The group meets one Wednesday each month from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall for brunch, a guest speaker, small-group discussion, and free on-site childcare. MomCo runs its own Facebook and Instagram pages (@montclair_momco and the mopsmontclair Facebook group), and its calendar for the year includes September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, and May meetings plus periodic play dates. The group's annual theme and speakers are announced each season; recent themes have included "Good Company" with storyteller Noelle Rhodes.
Community Groups and the Prayer Meeting
Community groups are the connective tissue of the church. Small groups meet throughout the week in Montclair, Cedar Grove, Nutley, and surrounding towns for Bible study, prayer, and friendship. Beyond the women's, men's, and young-adults groups already described, the church hosts a Sunday Morning Bible Study at 8:30 AM, a Monday evening Whole Hearts women's group, a Tuesday Young Adults group, a Thursday morning women's video study, a Thursday evening home Bible study in Nutley led by Marty and Gloria, and the Saturday men's group. GriefShare, a support group for those walking through grief, runs as a separate care ministry. Every first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM the whole church is invited to the Monthly Prayer Meeting for a focused hour of reflection, thanksgiving, and corporate prayer. The church also maintains a Prayer Wall where members and attenders can submit requests and pray for one another.
Beliefs Grounded in the 1689 Confession
Montclair Community Church teaches from an adapted summary of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, and the church's full statement of belief is published on its own page. The summary affirms one true God existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and the full inspiration and inerrancy of the sixty-six books of Holy Scripture as the final authority for faith and life. The church teaches the biblical doctrine of creation and the fall, the utter inability of fallen man to come to God on his own, and God's free and sovereign election of a people for salvation in Christ before the foundation of the world. MCC holds to the deity, virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and future return of Jesus Christ, and to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in regenerating, calling, and sanctifying believers. Justification is by faith alone through the imputed righteousness of Christ, and the church affirms the perseverance of the saints, the continuing authority of the moral law as summarized in the Ten Commandments, and the practice of baptism and the Lord's Supper as ordinances reserved for regenerated believers within the local church. The statement also affirms that only biblically qualified men are to hold the office of Elder or preach during the weekly worship service, and that the local church stands under the authority of Christ alone. MCC's broader values are summed up in seven phrases: Biblical Authority, Grace-Centered Culture, Radical Dependence, Meaningful Worship, Authentic Relationships, Gifted Service, and Gospel Outreach.
Pastors, Elders, and Staff
Pastor Lee Grzywinski is the Lead Pastor. He has been in ministry since 2006, holds a degree in Pastoral Ministry from Bethany Bible College, and earned his M.Div. from Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is also certified as a Mental Health Coach and as a Marriage and Family Counselor. He can be reached at lee@montclair.church. Eric Temple serves as Executive Pastor, with a Bachelor's in Youth and Family Ministry and a Masters in Counseling from Cairn University. Eric has been part of MCC since age five and has now served seven years overseeing youth and young adults. He is one of the church's elders and is the lead contact for youth, young adults, and the monthly prayer meeting. Children's Ministry Director Amber Duca leads the children's programs. The current eldership includes Lee Grzywinski, Eric Temple, Joe Del Grande, David Langford, Dave Howard, and Elder Candidate Eliazer Rachuri. Ernie Campusano serves as Treasurer.
Giving, Missions, and the Church Building
Montclair Community Church is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and donations are tax-deductible with annual contribution statements provided. Giving is accepted online through PayPal, credit, and debit, via Zelle to info@montclair.church, and in person or by mail as cash or check. Beyond the weekly operating budget, four ministry priorities are Global and Local Missions (with partners in the DR Congo, France, Kenya, and the Philippines, plus local missionaries in New Jersey), Family and Next Gen (Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, VBS, MomCo), Community Care (GriefShare, Community Groups, Raising Salt, and direct benevolence to those in need), and the upkeep of the church building itself. Visitors can also browse the church's sermon archive on YouTube, listen through the Anchor podcast feed, subscribe to regular teaching through the Ask a Pastor blog, and pick up resources written by Pastor Lee through the Lee Grzywinski Ministries bookstore. The Fellowship Hall, classrooms, Meeting Room B2, and the nursery in the Fellowship Hall are the mainstays of the building's weekly use, and the church hosts weddings and funerals for members and the wider community.